The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea filed by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) investigation into the excise policy of the Delhi government. Sisodia, however, will move Supreme Court to seek relief in the case.
The single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, while denying bail to Sisodia, noted that the allegations against him are “serious in nature.”
“The allegations against the applicant are very serious in nature. The excise policy was formed at the instance of the South Group, and benefits were given to them with mala fide intention,” said Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma.
The high court also acknowledged Sisodia’s high position and the serious allegations of misconduct against him. “The court has also not examined the decision of the government, but there are serious allegations of misconduct against the applicant,” said the court in its order.
The court further highlighted Sisodia’s influence and his role as the Deputy Chief Minister and holding multiple portfolios, stating that the possibility of witnesses being influenced cannot be ruled out.
Sisodia had challenged a previous order by Special CBI Judge M K Nagpal, who denied him bail and referred to him as the “architect” of the criminal conspiracy.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, opposing the bail plea, argued before the high court that Sisodia misused his official position and introduced changes to the Excise Policy under the influence of the South Group, with the help of his close associate Vijay Nair.
The CBI, through Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, also alleged that Sisodia misused his powers and introduced favorable provisions in the new policy to facilitate the monopolization of the liquor trade in Delhi, resulting in kickbacks of Rs 90 to Rs 100 crores for the South Group.
Sisodia’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan, argued that the CBI had no evidence to show his client’s involvement in the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy.
The court order stated that Sisodia was not only an architect but also the brain behind various provisions in the policy, including the profit margins for wholesalers and eligibility criteria for wholesalers. It further mentioned that these decisions were made without proper discussions and deliberations, and the concerned department of excise was not consulted.
In April, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court had also dismissed Sisodia’s bail plea in the liquor policy case.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 for alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy, which has since been scrapped.
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